The Alpha's Read online

  “How the hell did you get in here, you Scottish tart?” Dizzy mused aloud.

  “I told you David mentioned her.” Dizzy jumped at the sound of Xander’s voice. She had forgotten he was even there.

  Dizzy scoffed. “The time-traveler? You expect me to believe that?”

  Xander nodded slowly as he started to pop open the buttons on his jeans.

  “Um, what are you doing?” Dizzy’s heart started to pick up speed.

  “Can’t show you a damn thing with these on,” Xander explained, pushing his jeans over his lean, tanned thighs and toeing off his trainers.

  Dizzy shook her head. Snap out of it, girl! “I don’t want to see it, thank you.” She tried for her best snooty English accent, but it only came out as a breathless pant.

  “Hmm, I can see you don’t.” Xander winked at her. “But that’s not what I want to show you, vixen.” He pulled off his T-shirt to leave him standing in a hidden room at the top of the history museum in nothing but his boxers.

  “Xander, we don’t have time—Eeep!” She squeaked when he pulled off his underwear. Her brain said look away, but her libido said, don’t you dare! She didn’t have time to glory at the sight of his naked form because one minute Xander was standing there, and the next a large wolf was looking back at her.

  The animal took a tentative step toward her. Dizzy thought about running, she waited for her fight-or-flight instinct to kick in, but it never came. As unusual and downright mind-messing as the whole thing was, she wasn’t scared of him. Or of the black panther that, at that moment, walked around the corner.

  “Okay now, see, doing stuff like that, well, it’s just showing off,” she told the animals. Dizzy frowned at herself. “Great, now I’m talking to animals. Just call me Dizzy Dolittle.” The wolf huffed. She guessed it was a laugh.

  In a blink of an eye, the panther changed, and Mau stood naked in front of her.

  “Wow, mate, clothes are not a suggestion.” Dizzy gasped as she focused on the floor, and then on the back of Xander’s fine, tanned legs as they came to stand in front of her, shielding her.

  ***

  Xander rumbled low in warning, letting Mau know if he took another step he would be dead. He doubted the trained assassin would care, but the other man simply smiled at him and stepped back.

  “You are mated?” Mau asked.

  “No,” Xander said through gritted teeth.

  “Not yet,” Mau said before turning and walking away.

  Xander watched him leave, remembering that it was their smug, know-it-all attitude that caused him to really hate cats. Giving a warning snarl, he looked back at Dizzy and couldn’t help the surge of feelings that welled up inside him. Damned cat was right. They weren’t mated…yet. Bastard.

  It had been magical watching her work. Dizzy had been right when she’d said she had magic of her own. Xander had been amazed at her computer skills. She seemed to bond with the machine until it practically brought her information before she even asked for it, like a gift.

  “Now do you believe me?” Xander asked, still watching the door, making sure that Mau wasn’t going to walk back in.

  “I believe your naked ass is in my face!” was the only warning he got before her teeth nipped his butt.

  “Eeh!” Xander spun around, rubbing his poor, abused flesh.

  Dizzy laughed. “You totally did a girlie squeak!”

  “No, I didn’t,” Xander defended himself, even though he knew she’d gotten him. Thank God his pack was not around to hear this. He’d never be able to live it down.

  “Hi, my name is Xander, and I squeak when girls bite my little butt,” Dizzy mimicked in a high-pitched voice.

  Xander looked down at the woman hysterically laughing. If at any other time someone had said that to him, mocked him like that, he would have dealt with it like any alpha would: He would have sent them away bleeding. But this woman didn’t bring bloody revenge to mind. No, he had other plans altogether.

  He waited for Dizzy’s giggles to subside. She wiped her eyes and smiled up at him, a smile he saw falter when she noticed the wicked grin on his face.

  With a casual air, Xander looked down the length of his body, then back at her. He watched as Dizzy swallowed hard and followed his gaze down his chest, over his stomach to his hips, and his jutting hard-on that demanded her attention.

  Dizzy tried to placate him. “Now, Xander, we need to stay calm.”

  “But, my little vixen, to my people what you just did was foreplay,” he told her as he leaned forward, placing a hand on the arms of her chair, trapping her with his body.

  “I am not one of your people,” she said breathlessly.

  “Mmm. No, you aren’t.” He nuzzled into her neck, inhaling her scent, her arousal. “But you still have to pay for mocking the alpha. What would the other alphas say if they knew I let you get away with that?” He licked a path up the column of her neck to her ear. “I can smell your heat.”

  “You have to stop, Xander, we’re in a public place. Anyone could walk in at any second.” Her voice was husky, pulling a growl from his wolf.

  “The feline won’t let anyone near here,” he assured her, and he started to pull up her top. Xander allowed his claws out, and he ran soft circles over her stomach.

  This time her voice held no argument. “But Mau may come in.”

  “No.” He kissed her. He wanted her to forget she had about Mau and be completely clear on who she was with, who she was giving herself to, and who she belonged to. Because no matter what happened next, there was one thing that Xander was utterly and completely clear on: Dora Williamson belonged to him.

  Chapter Five

  “God, that is so hot,” she said before catching her lower lip between her teeth.

  “You like my claws, vixen?”

  She moaned. “Yes.”

  Xander pulled his hand away and stood up. “Yes?” He allowed a thread of steel to enter his voice. Dizzy looked up at him with wide eyes. Xander could see she knew what he was asking for.

  She pulled herself out of the chair so that her body pressed against his before she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Looking him right in the eye, she said, “Yes, sir.”

  All at once his instinct kicked in. His focus narrowed to one point: her.

  Turning her, he placed her on the carpeted floor and trapped her with his naked body.

  “Sir.” Her voice hitched, catching on her breath.

  “I wanted to be gentle, but you push me to the edge, vixen,” he panted, pulling down her trousers.

  Dizzy purred when he came to lay full length against her again. “If I wanted gentle, I would ask for it.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.” He didn’t, no matter that his wolf was baying, demanding he take her, mark her as his.

  “You won’t.” Her faith in him was his undoing. His claws extended again and this time he didn’t tease her with them. He used them to shred her top, bra, and panties.

  He retracted them as he ran a single finger up the inside of her thigh and over her wet pussy.

  “This is going to be hard and fast,” he warned her. He had to be sure she understood this was not going to be fairy tale lovemaking.

  Dizzy wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

  “Please, sir.”

  Xander didn’t wait any longer. With one smooth thrust, he plowed as deep into her has he could.

  “You feel so good,” she told him, and Xander’s wolf took control. He pounded into her, thrusting over and over. Pushing her into an orgasm that had her calling out his name.

  Xander followed after her, hissing out his release. He collapsed against her, remembering at the last second to fall slightly to the side so that he didn’t crush her.

  “You do know how to work a body,” she said.

  He could hear the smile in her voice. “Why, thank you kindly, ma’am.” He laughed, pulling her closer. “You let me know anytime you want me to work your body, vixen.” He kis
sed the top of her head. How it had happened, he didn’t know, but this woman was his, and he refused to let her go.

  His wolf huffed, agreeing with him.

  “When you two are finished in there, we have a world to save!” Mau shouted through the door.

  “Did I ever tell you how much I really hate cats?” Xander yelled the last loud enough so Mau would hear.

  Dizzy smiled and snuggled closer to him.

  Her softly spoken “I have always been a dog person,” made him want to howl.

  ***

  “She is going to freak out, so I will tell her. You just make sure that when things start getting dangerous, you get us the hell out of there,” Dizzy told Xander as they stood outside The Blood Bar.

  She was amazed that less than forty-eight hours ago, she had come here harassed by work. That all seemed a lifetime ago now.

  “Have no fear, Beacon. I am here to meet the Chosen One and assist in protecting the child. I will let nothing happen to them,” Mau assured her. Dizzy could see the determination in his eyes.

  “I don’t doubt it, Mau, but I like to cover all the bases. Right, people, let’s get this over with so we can get them to safety.” Dizzy pushed through the door to the bar.

  “Dizzy!” Noelle smiled, rushing forward to hug her. The surge of relief hit Dizzy so hard, it stole her breath. She hadn’t realized how scared she had been for her friend until now, until she knew she was safe.

  “Dear Lord, doll, you had me worried,” Dizzy said, hugging the woman back.

  “I am fine. We are fine,” Noelle told her, staring intently into her eyes.

  “I need to talk to you.” Dizzy took a deep breath. How did she explain the prophecy and the man standing with Xander who looked like he was about to drop to his knees and kiss Noelle’s feet?

  Dizzy pulled her closer to Xander, knowing that he’d protect them both as he’d said. She didn’t expect his low warning sound. And she certainly didn’t expect Noelle to flash fangs in response.

  Dizzy reacted without hesitation, she reached back and smacked Xander around the back of his head. “Do not even think about growling at my friend,” she warned.

  A handsome man behind Noelle murmured something softly, and Dizzy watched as her friend leaned back into him, stepping out from the protective circle Dizzy had tried to set up.

  “Don’t worry, Henri. I wouldn’t want fleas,” Noelle said aloud in response, glaring at Xander before whispering something low that pulled a laugh from him.

  “Goddamn leeches are multiplying!” Xander snarled.

  Dizzy did some growling of her own then. She was not about to let him get between her and her friends.

  “I know what you need to tell me,” Noelle promised her.

  Dizzy was pretty sure the women had no idea. “I don’t think you do.”

  “Diz, I have fangs now. My daughter has fangs, and her father has fangs.” She pointed to Henri, who was standing just behind her.

  “Father?” Dizzy was confused. She came here to save the world, and now it looked like the world has passed her by.

  “Yep.” Noelle smiled, and for the first time in a long time, Dizzy didn’t see sadness or tiredness in her face. The woman looked happy and relaxed, the sight warmed her heart.

  “The Chosen One!” The gasped words from behind her had them all turning to Mau who was now on his knees in front of Josie.

  “What the hell?” she asked, looking at the man at her feet.

  “Well, if you will turn up late to everything, you Scottish tart, what do you expect?” Dizzy grinned as the other woman glared at her.

  Josie stuck out her tongue. “I see you survived just fine.”

  “I did, and I made a new friend. Josie, meet Mau, Mau, this is Josie.”

  “Nice ta meet ya.” Josie offered her hand, then shrugged when Mau refused to move from the floor. “Will he ever get up?”

  “No idea. He is your problem now, O Chosen One.” Dizzy grinned.

  She looked around the room. David and Henri were off talking in a corner. The ladies of her club were arriving one by one. She finally knew they were all safe and together, something she had been scared to even think about. She saw Xander standing at the side of the room with Logan, and even though they spoke softly to each other, his eyes never left her.

  Dizzy’s heart warmed. She didn’t know what the following days would bring, but she was damn sure that together this group of humans and supernaturals could do anything. She also somehow knew that as long as she had Xander at her side, no one and nothing was going to stop them from protecting Hope. They wouldn’t be getting anywhere near Noelle and Hope, not if she had anything to say about it. Dizzy looked down at her hand and started as small sparks of power traveled over her fingers.

  I am *takes a deep breath* a daughter, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, aunt-in-law, great-aunt, godmother, and resident IT geek for UCW. All that and not even forty yet! I have been writing for most of my life, but I kept it my “dirty little secret” until I saw an advert for a writing competition. Although I didn’t win, entering that competition opened up a whole new literary world! I decided it was finally time to give writing a serious try.

  I am a paranormal romance fan and love to read and write in that genre. Show me a shifter wolf, tiger, or bear, and I am one happy bunny.

  Biography

  I am *takes a deep breath* a daughter, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, aunt-in-law, great-aunt, godmother, and resident IT geek for UCW. All that and not even forty yet! I have been writing for most of my life, but I kept it my “dirty little secret” until I saw an advert for a writing competition. Although I didn’t win, entering that competition opened up a whole new literary world! I decided it was finally time to give writing a serious try.

  I am a paranormal romance fan and love to read and write in that genre. Show me a shifter wolf, tiger, or bear, and I am one happy bunny.

  Saving Hope

  Doris O’Connor

  Chapter One

  Noelle pushed her wayward curls out of her face, cursing the light rain that made the auburn mass even more uncontrollable than normal. Damn it all, she was going to turn up looking like a drowned rat. She glared at the sign announcing she’d reached her destination, as though it had somehow caused the weather to conspire against her. The small sign blinked on and off. The Blood Bar—seriously? This had to be one of Josie’s practical jokes. Only she would drag them out to a place like this, and right now Noelle didn’t get it. Heaven only knows what went on in a place like this. Noelle had enough of being surrounded by the red stuff, she didn’t need the reminder on the one night a month she let her hair down to meet the girls.

  She hated leaving Hope, but this evening was hers. Noelle’s heart squeezed painfully in her chest at the mere thought of her six-year-old. The doctors didn’t give her much more time. Every day, her beloved daughter grew weaker right in front of her eyes. If she didn’t find a cure soon, no amount of blood transfusions would save her.

  Find him. You have to find him.

  Noelle spun round, but no one was there. She was going mad. Joining the Wicked Ladies of Fiction online writing group had been one way to still the voices in her head. The girls reassured her that she wasn’t losing the plot and writing had been a much needed distraction from life and the constant worry over Hope. But this insistent whisper that had manifested itself recently was something else. Find who? Hope’s absentee father? Gah, this maudlin doesn’t solve anything.

  That little sign squeaked in the breeze, mocking her with the deep red letters, reminding her how much Hope needed to get the right blood. The latest conversation she’d had with the hematologist played in Noelle’s mind as she pushed the door open and entered the dim interior.

  “If we knew her father’s blood type it would help. I can only assume it’s a rare mutation, and the combination has caused this situation. I’m really sorry. There is nothing else we can do.”

  The heavy door banged shut behind her and the noi
se of the bar washed over her. Get a grip, girl. You’re here to have fun.

  Pushing all thoughts of Hope firmly from her mind, she ignored the tendril of unease that made the fine hair on her neck stand up. She looked around the crowded bar and spotted the girls at a booth in the corner. Fixing a smile on her face, she tried for a cheerful wave. Several pairs of hands mirrored the action and Noelle had to smile. They were a crazy bunch, but she loved them all. Dizzy was late again, it seemed. That girl was married to her job.

  She weaved her way around the many tables, dodging the wandering hands of several inebriated, barely-out-of-nappies youngsters trying their luck, and made it to the bar.

  “Gin and tonic, please.” She swallowed the groan at the bartender’s lecherous grin as he slid the drink across to her and forced herself to hand over the money, instead of throwing it in his face. If she had a penny for every time a man gawked at her boobs, she’d be rich by now! Damn the whole sorry lot of them.

  The Barbie look-alike perched next to her at the bar looked up from her notebook and laughed, startling Noelle out of her internal rant. The girl didn’t look old enough to be in the place, but her open smile had Noelle grinning back instinctively.

  “Did I just say that out loud?”

  “Yeah, you sure did, but no worries. You know these men, they can’t help themselves. A bit of cleavage on show, and they’re putty in your hands.” Her melodious laughter was infectious as she raised her notebook. “Certainly gives me plenty to write about.”

  Noelle’s interest piqued at those words. “You’re a writer then?”

  “Try to be, but it’s a lonely business. Haven’t had much luck finding a group to join. They don’t seem to think I’m serious about it.” The young woman sighed and flicked her hair back. “I’m Octavia by the way.”